European purchase boosts McKesson

Article Excerpt

MCKESSON CORP. $239 (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 231.6 million; Market cap: $55.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; Dividend yield: 0.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mckesson .com) paid $4.5 billion for 75.4% of Celesio AG in February 2014. Celesio is a German firm that distributes prescription drugs in Europe and Brazil. McKesson’s stake now stands at 76.0%. This acquisition increased McKesson’s revenue by 30.3% in its 2015 fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2015, to $179.0 billion from $137.4 billion in fiscal 2014. Excluding unusual items, earnings per share rose 29.2%, to $11.11 from $8.60. The company now expects to earn $12.20 to $12.70 a share in fiscal 2016, and the stock trades at 19.2 times the midpoint of that range. That’s a somewhat high p/e ratio, particularly if Celesio fails to meet expectations. As well, the upcoming launch of cheaper hepatitis C drugs could slow McKesson’s revenue growth. McKesson is a hold. hold. …